If you're like most people, you got a lot of gift cards this week. Once they're spent dry and nothing more than empty slabs of plastic, don't just throw them away or toss them in the recycling bin—there's plenty of fun to be had with them. Let's take a look at how you can put those now-empty cards to good use around the house.

Gift cards run the gamut from flimsy plastic to pretty sturdy cards, so the uses for them vary. Sure you could just shred them or toss them in the trash and never see them again, but that wouldn't be as much fun as turning one into a smartphone stand, a business card holder, or finding another fun and quirky use for it around the house, would it? We have a few of our own clever uses, but let's hear yours too. Here's how to format your clever use for old gift cards:

Include a picture! Anything to add a little visual interest, especially if you've done this before and can prove it.

One clever use per comment please! Let's keep it simple and easy to read—if you have multiples, and we hope you do, add them as separate comments!

Try not to repeat brilliant ideas! If you see someone who's already told us what you do with old gift cards, click the star and reply to their comment to pile on, even if it's just "throw them away."

Share your story. Where did you hear about this? What made you think to do this with an old gift card? Tell your story—we're just as interested in how you got to the idea as the idea itself!

So then, let's begin! We'll get you started, but we're really interested in yours, so fire away.